Patsy Reddy

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Dame Patsy Reddy
GNZM QSO
Governor-General of New Zealand
Designate
Taking office
14 September 2016
Monarch Elizabeth II
Prime Minister John Key
Succeeding Jerry Mateparae
Personal details
Born Patricia Lee Reddy
1952/1953 (age 63–64)
Matamata, New Zealand
Spouse(s) 1. Geoff Harley (div.)[1]
2. David Gascoigne
Alma mater Victoria University of Wellington

Dame Patricia Lee "Patsy" Reddy GNZM QSO (born 1952/53) is a New Zealand lawyer and non-executive director. In September 2016 she will be sworn in as the 21st Governor-General of New Zealand.

Early life and education[edit]

Reddy was born in Matamata, New Zealand, to Neil William and Catherine Marjorie "Kay" Reddy, both of whom were schoolteachers.[2] Three of her forebears left Ireland and went to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A distant cousin, singer Helen Reddy, is descended from the Australian forebear.[3] Patsy Reddy was raised in the small Waikato towns of Te Akau and Minginui until her family moved to Hamilton when she was six years old. There, she attended Hillcrest Primary School, Peachgrove Intermediate School and Hamilton Girls' High School.[2]

Reddy completed her university studies at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1976 and a Master of Laws with first-class honours in 1979.[2][4]

Career[edit]

Reddy was a junior lecturer and then lecturer at Victoria University's Faculty of Law.[4] In 1982 she joined the Wellington firm Watts and Patterson (now Minter Ellison Rudd Watts), becoming their first female partner in 1983. She specialised in tax, corporate and film law. She later took up a position at Brierley Investments, where she was employed for 11 years, and worked on large acquisition negotiations such as the privatisation of Air New Zealand.[5]

Reddy is the chair of the New Zealand Film Commission and Education Payroll Ltd and is a director of Payments NZ Ltd and Active Equity Holdings Ltd. She is a chief Crown negotiator for Treaty of Waitangi settlements and a lead reviewer for the Performance Improvement Framework for the State Services Commission. She is also the deputy chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency. Her previous directorships include Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Ltd, SKYCITY Entertainment Group Ltd, New Zealand Post and Air New Zealand Ltd.[6]

In 2016, Reddy and Sir Michael Cullen collaborated on an independent report to the New Zealand government reviewing legislation covering the country's spy agencies. Their report was released on 9 March 2016, two weeks before Reddy's appointment as Governor-General was publicly announced.[7] The report recommended expanding the Government Communications Security Bureau's rights to monitor the personal communications of New Zealanders, and was met with some controversy.[8]

Reddy is also involved in a number of non-governmental organisations, particularly in the arts and gender equality.[9] She was one of the founding members in 2009 of Global Women New Zealand, a group of prominent women who advocate for inclusion and diversity in leadership.[2][10]

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours Reddy was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts and business.[11] In June 2016, she was appointed as a Dame of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.[12]

She was appointed Additional Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and as an Additional Companion of the Queen’s Service Order on 27 June 2016 in preparation of becoming Governor-General.[13]

Governor-General of New Zealand[edit]

In March 2016, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had approved the appointment of Reddy as the next Governor-General of New Zealand, for a five-year term starting on 14 September 2016.[14]

She will be the country's 21st Governor-General and third woman to hold the position, after Dames Catherine Tizard and Silvia Cartwright.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Reddy is married to the former New Zealand Judicial Conduct Commissioner, Sir David Gascoigne.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "16 Things You Didn’t Know About Dame Patsy Reddy". LawFuel. 22 March 2016. 
  2. ^ a b c d e "New Governor-General: who is Dame Patsy Reddy?". New Zealand Herald. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016. 
  3. ^ Young, Audrey (23 March 2016). "Spotlight falls on quiet achiever". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2016. 
  4. ^ a b "Dame Patsy Reddy – biographical notes" (PDF). beehive.govt.nz. Retrieved 23 March 2016. 
  5. ^ Sachdeva, Sam (22 March 2016). "Who is Dame Patsy Reddy, and what will she do as Governor-General?". Stuff. Retrieved 1 April 2016. 
  6. ^ "NZTA: Our Board". NZ Transport Agency. 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016. 
  7. ^ Sachdeva, Sam (9 March 2016). "Spy agencies explainer: what you need to know about the report into spying laws". Stuff. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
  8. ^ "Greens "surprised" by Reddy appointment after controversial spy review". Wellington.Scoop. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
  9. ^ Young, Audrey (22 March 2016). "Dame Patsy Reddy to be Governor-General". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
  10. ^ "Global Women". globalwomen.org.nz. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
  11. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2014". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
  12. ^ The London Gazette: no. 61619. p. 13264. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  13. ^ "Announcement of honours for Dame Patsy Reddy". Retrieved 27 June 2016. 
  14. ^ Key, John (22 March 2016). "PM welcomes Dame Patsy Reddy as the next Governor-General" (Press release). 
  15. ^ Price, Rosanna; Moir, Jo (22 March 2016). "Dame Patsy Reddy was 'stunned' when offered Governor-General role". Stuff. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 
Government offices
Preceded by
Jerry Mateparae		 Governor-General of New Zealand
Taking office 2016		 Incumbent
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